1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning and reconditioning rotary faced buffing pads loaded with excess polishing compounds.
2. Description of Related Art
Rotary faced buffing pads are necessarily used for buffing and polishing of high luster finishes. As an example, rotary faced buffing pads are commonly used in the automobile polishing and refinishing industry for finish polishing of an automobile. Today rotary faced buffing pads of the foam type, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,675 to Meguiar, are utilized. Such foam pads have been used of choice in recent years because of the finish they provide on the automobile.
The rotary faced buffing pads are commonly utilized with hand held rotary tools, which are generally pneumatically or electrically powered.
During polishing of an automobile finish or other finish a buffing or polishing compound is utilized with the buffing pad to provide the necessary grade of abrasive for polishing of the finish. It has been a problem in the past that during the buffing operation the buffing surface of the buffing pad tends to "load up" with an excess polishing compound to a point where the continued use of the buffing pad detrimentally effects the finished surface by causing buffer or swirl marks in the finish, detracting from its polished appearance. Thus, in order to retain optimum polishing conditions the operator must either provide some method of reconditioning of the buffing pad or replace the buffing pad periodically to provide an appropriate surface on the buffing pad for optimum polishing conditions. While replacement of the buffing pad at regular intervals will produce a suitable solution to the loading up problem, this solution is undesirable because of excessive costs of routinely changing the pads.
It has therefore been a goal of the art to provide an apparatus capable of effectively removing accumulations of buffing or polishing compounds from the surface of rotary faced buffing pads, such as the foam pads which are preferentially utilized today. Existing devices which are used to accomplish this result include, among others, straight-handled wire brushes such as that available at hardware stores.
During cleaning of the rotary faced buffing pad using the wire brush, the operator of the rotary tool holds the tool in front of him with one hand, with the face of the buffing pad facing away from his body. In the other hand, the wire brush is used to engage the surface of the pad, which is loaded up with an accumulated buffing compound, in order to remove the excess compound, thereby reconditioning the surface of the pad.
The operator, in cleaning the pad with the wire brush, must move it radially across at least one semi-circle of the pad while the pad is rotating to ensure complete cleaning of the entire surface of the pad. Due to the tendency of these pads to load up more at the center than at the edges of the pad the operator invariably concentrates much of his effort toward the center of the pad which is to be cleaned. It has been found by the present inventor that such procedure is effective and controllable for dressing the semi-circle of the pad which is amenable to use of the brush, i.e., the semi-circle which generally rotates away from the handle of the brush. However, as the operator progresses radially across the semi-circle he either crosses onto the other semi-circular side of the pad or is pulled onto it by the action of the pad on the brush, which is particularly a problem at the center thereof. When this occurs, it has been found that the forces exerted on the brush are uncontrollable and cause jamming of the brush, generally into or at the operator. This uncontrollable movement is undesirable and may pose a hazard to the operator trying to perform this method. This problem is illustrated, more particularly below, in FIG. 8 and in the following specification.
It, thus, has been a goal in the art to eliminate this tendency of a straight-handled brush to jam directly backward upon occasion of crossing the center line of the buffing pad from a first semi-circular portion and encounter the non-amenable rotational forces of the second semi-circular portion.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ergonomically effective reconditioning tool for controlled reconditioning of rotary faced buffing and polishing pads which will work with the operator's hand and wrist instead of acting in an uncontrollable manner.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning tool capable of controlled return motion to a first semi-circular portion upon occasion of crossing the buffing pad center line and encountering in the second semi-circular portion forces adverse to engagement of the tool with the pad.